Wire connecter



May 26, 1931. ZEHNDER 1,807,462

WIRE CONNECTER Filed Nov. 18, 1927 WITNESSES INVENT OR.

r I 1 I ATTORNEY.

Patented May 26, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUIS RAYMOND ZEHNDEB, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO LOUISVILLE FROG, SWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY, OF LOUISVILLE,

KENTUCKY, A CORPORATION WIRE CONNECTER Application filed November 18, 1927. Seria1No. 234,191.

My invention relates to means for securing a wire to another wire either-insulated .or

bare; 1

The invention consists essentially, in the combination with wires, of two parts forming a clamp, held together by a screw, of a design to securely and'permanently connect the wires both electrically and mechanically and to grip the insulation where insulated wire is used.

An object of this invention is to produce a wire connecter which will take the lace of a soldered connection. A- further 0 ject is to provide a device as characterized which will not injure the wires.

A further object is to provide a device as characterized which will firmly grip the insulation on a wire without injury.

A further object is to provide a device as characterized which shall be economical,

easily installed, universal and reliable.

With the foregoing and other objects in,

view, the invention consists of the novel design illustrated in the accompanyin drawings, which form a part of this speci cation, wherein is set forth an embodiment of the invention.

Because of the man sha es that will be required in practice I ave ound it impractical to show them all in the drawings and for this reason I have shown only the one known as a two wire connecter, which is typical, but it is understood that such shapes may be resorted to as come within the scope of the appended claim.

In the drawings wherein similar reference characters designate like parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a left end view.

' Figure 2 is a front elevation.

Figure 3 is a right end view.

Figure 4 is a rear elevation.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5- -5 Figure 4, showing how the connecter clamps wires of different diameters.

Figure 5A is a section on line 55 Figure 4, sho how the connecter clamps wires of like'dmmeters.

Figure 6 is a front elevation with the front half and screw removed.

. asshown in Figures 5, 5A. The grooves 13,

Figure 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Figure 6, with front half in place and showing how the connecter grips the insulation of a smallwire. 4

Figure 7A is a section on line 7--7 Figure 6 with front half in place and showing how the connecter grips the insulation of a larger wire.

Figure 8 is a front elevation showing the connecter installed.

' The connecter includes a rear part and a front part. The, rear part includes a substantially rectangular body portion formed with a transverse slot and an outwardly directed right angular flange at its top and bottom. The front part includes a substantially rectangular body portion provided with an opening and with the wall of the opening threaded. Each part includes a lateral extension at the lower portion of one side of its body portion. The extension on the body portion of the rear part having an outwardly irected right angular flange at its bottom and which forms a continuation of the bottom flange on the body portion. The rear and front parts will be hereinafter referred to as rear andfront sections respectively.

Referring to the drawings the connecter includes rear and front sections 9, 10 respectively, which are to be secured together by a headed coupling screw 11 passing throng a slot 12, disposed transversely of and ad acent to the transverse median of section 9 and engaging the threaded wall of an opening formed in section 10.

The section 9 is of greater height than section 10 and overlaps the bottom and top edges of the latter.

The section 10 has is inner face formed with lengthwise extending V-shaped grooves 14 for receiving the Wires to be connected 14 are arranged respectively in proximity to the beveled top and bottom edges 15, 16 of section 10.

When wires of different diameters are connected front section 10 and screw 11 take an angular position as shown in Figure 5-.

The purpose of slot 12, is to allow the screw 11, and section 10 to take an angular position ,projections and spaced therefrom.

when wires of different diameters are connected as shown in Figure 5. If the larger wire is at the top and the small wire at the bottom slot 12 will allow screw 11 and section 10 to take the opposite position. The beveled edges 15 and 16 ofsection 1O allow it to clear sect-ion 9 in any position. The curvature of the outer face of section 9 as indi- 2 cated at 17 insures a central pull on the screw at any position it may take to clamp the wires. The grooves 13 and 14 are V-shaped and tie inside surface of section 9 fiat to insure a three point contact with each wire. Figure 5A shows the connecter when the wires are of the same diameter. Each of the sections has a reduced terminal portion and the latter is formed with a lengthwise extending, laterally disposed, substantially semi-circular offset. The offsets are indicated at 18 and 19, oppositely disposed with respect to each other and are arranged in opposed relation and provide a more or less cylindrical cavity for the insulation 20 of the wire. The offset portions provide what may be termed jaws and the inner faces thereof have knife edged projections 21 and a cone shaped projection 22 as shown in Fig. 6. The knife edge projections on the inner face of each jaw are arranged in superposed sets and with the projections of each set arranged in spaced relation. The projections of one set align with the projections of the other set. The coneshaped projection on the inner face of each jaw is positioned between the sets of the other These projections allow the connecter to firmly grip insulation 20 without a great amount of pressure and without injuring the wire. The edge of each offset 18 and 19 is rounded at 23 to prevent cutting insulation 20. Where the insulation 20 is small only the conical projections 22 penetrate and the knife edged projections 21 tend to centralize it as in Figure 7 but where the insulation is large all of the projections penetrate as in Figure 7-A. However, they never go far enough to come in contact with the wire. Figure 8 shows a connecter applied in which 24 is a wire to which the insulated wire is connected.

The section 9 is formed of a wide part 24 and a narrow part 25. The section 10 is formed with a wide part 26 and a narrow part 27. The parts 25, 27 provide the reduced terminal portions formed with the offsets 18, 19. The top edges of the arts 25, 27 slope downwardly upon a curve id om the top edges of the parts 24, 26 respectively to one end of the sections 9, 10 respectively. The bottoms of parts 25, 27 are offset downwardly with respect to the bottoms of parts 24, 26 respectively. The parts 24, 25 are of greater width than the parts 26, 27 respectively.

The grooves 13 are formed in the inner face of part 26. The inner face of part 24 is plane. The slot 12 is oval conto r, is formed in of a width materially reater than the thickness of the part 26. he flange 9 overlaps and projects outwardly with respect to part Coextensive with the bottom of section 9 is a right angularly disposed flange 9" havin a part thereof arranged in parallel, space relation with respect to flange 9'. That portion of flange 9'- at the bottom of part 25 is offset downwardly with respect to that portion of the flange 9" at the bottom of the part 24. The flange 9' is of a width materially greater than the thickness of section 10 and overlaps and projects outwardly with respect to the latter. The flange 9' is flush with the lower portion of the inner face of the offset portion 18.

What I claim is:

A wire connecter comprising a clamp formed of a separable rear and front part, said rear part consisting of a substantially rectangular body portion formed with a transverse slot and an outwardly directed flange at its top and bottom, said front part consisting of a substantially rectangular body portion provided with an opening having a threaded wall, said body portions opposing each other and with the body portion of the front part overlapped at its top and bottom by said flanges, the inner face of the body portion of the rear part being smooth throughout, the inner face of the body portion of said front part formed with spaced, parallel V- shaped grooves coacting with the smooth inner face of the rear part to provide for a three point contact when clamping wires to said parts, means extending through said slot and engaging with the wall of said opening for securing said parts together in clamping engagement with respect to said wires, and each of said parts provided at the lower portion of one side thereof'with an internally grooved lateral offset portion having its outer periphery of semicircular contour, said grooved off set portions coacting for clamping the insulated portion of one of said wires to said parts, said offset portions having the walls of the grooves thereof provided with means for entering the insulation clamped by said offset portions, and the lateral offset of said rear part having its bottom formed with an outwardly directed flange forming a continuation of the flange at the bottom of the body portion of said rear part.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature hereto.

LOUIS RAYMOND ZEH'N'DER. 

